Ok To Freeze Yeast?

[Crunched]

I just racked a lager I've been brewing to secondary and farmed the yeast. My question is - is this farmed yeast ok to store in the freezer? Or will this have a negative affect on the yeast? Kill it? Freezer burn it? Will it turn into the abominable yeastman? Encino yeast?

 

[Justin T]

If you freeze the yeast you are highly likely to kiil them as the cell membrane will crack as the water inside the cell freezes and expands. So it is not advisable to freeze your yeast

 

[Crunched]

Cheers Justin, I'll keep them in the fridge!

 

[Gulf Brewery]

Cheers Justin, I'll keep them in the fridge!

Hi Crunched

You can freeze yeast but you need to mix them with glycerine.
I haven't ever done it, but have read up on the process a couple of years ago, so try a web search for yeast, freezing, glycerine.

Cheers
Pedro

 

[buttersd70]

Never tried it, but have also read about glycerine solution methods...if you do give it a go, just remember that frost free cycles will kill the stock. (the articles you find should mention that, but I've seen a couple that don't)


If you're looking at long term storage viability, without a lot of space, the other option that you have is propogating slants. Zwickel had a lot of good info in a rather long thread about this, and there are some good articles on it as well. Slanting has the additional benefit of being able to reproduce the strain without the genetic mutations that you get from repeated use, like you have with slurry...so in theory, you could slant and re slant the same yeast for years.

 

[staggalee]

I`m pretty sure Matti {swede} on here has done it or is clued up about it?

staggalee.

 

[Effect]

slanting ftw

 

[Crunched]

Thanks guys - I did read up on slants, so I might give that a go. I'll most likely just keep them in the fermenting fridge but was curious about freezing them.

 

[~MikE]

long term storage you need to freeze at -80C, a -20C freezer may work short term but the one time i tried this i failed to recover the cells.

storing yeast in sterile water after washing them is very effective. i was given a tube that was 24 months old and it fired up fine...

otherwise slants FTW!